Method and apparatus for restoring a device to a default state

ABSTRACT

A device includes a processor and a hard disk drive coupled to the processor. The hard disk drive stores various data associated with the device and includes a first partition and a second partition. Data stored in the first partition is cleared during a system reset operation. Data stored in the second partition is not cleared during the system reset operation. The first partition stores saved application data, device configuration information, and the like. The second partition stores a console application that implements a user interface to the device. The second partition also stores a reset application that implements a system reset operation.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This invention relates to electronic devices, and moreparticularly, to the resetting of data stored on a disk drive or otherstorage device in an electronic device.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Gaming systems currently available on the market are capable ofplaying game discs, music CDs, and movie DVDs from a disc drive. Forexample, the Playstation® 2 gaming system from Sony Corporation providesthe ability to play games, music, and video titles from a disc insertedin the console. These gaming systems have limited internal data storagecapacity. Typically, the internal data storage is used to store systemand configuration information, such as the local time, the languagepreference of the user, and other settings. Other data, such as savedgame data and other game-specific data, is generally stored on a memorydevice that is external to the game console. For example, memory unitsthat are inserted into a handheld game controller store game informationfor later retrieval by a game console. Existing gaming systems do notcontain an internal non-removable hard disk drive for storing savedgames and other information.

[0003] A new generation of video gaming systems are equipped with a harddisk drive to enhance gaming, and broadband connectivity to facilitateonline gaming. With these additions, significant amounts of data (e.g.,saved game data from multiple game titles and multiple users of thegaming system) can be stored within the video gaming system using thehard disk drive. This new internal storage capability creates new issueswith respect to software or data corruption on the hard disk drive.Returning a video gaming system to the manufacturer to correct thesoftware and/or data corruption is an inconvenience to the user who isunable to use the system for a significant period of time.

[0004] Accordingly, there is a need for a reset mechanism for gamingsystems and other devices that allows a hard disk drive to be reset to aknown state. Further, there is a need to avoid abuse of the resetmechanism. Such abuse could result in the deletion of many hours ofsaved game information, device configuration information, high scores,etc.

SUMMARY

[0005] A device, such as a gaming system, includes a processor and ahard disk drive for storing various data. The hard disk drive includes afirst partition and a second partition. Data stored in the firstpartition is cleared during a system reset operation. Data stored in thesecond partition is not cleared during a system reset operation. Thefirst partition includes data generated and saved by one or moreapplications executing on the device. The second partition includesapplication programs and other types of read-only data.

[0006] In a particular implementation, a game console is booted from afirst partition of a hard disk drive integrated into the game console.The first partition of the hard disk drive is designated read-only. Datagenerated during operation of the game console is stored on a secondpartition of the hard disk drive.

[0007] In another implementation, a serial number is assigned to a gameconsole. A hidden code is stored in a storage device contained in thegame console. The serial number and the associated hidden code arestored in a database for later reference. A passcode is generated byapplying a passcode algorithm to the hidden code. The passcodeidentifies a series of control inputs required to reset the gameconsole.

[0008] In a described implementation, a technical support agent iscontacted regarding a device. A device serial number is provided to thetechnical support agent. A passcode is received from the technicalsupport agent. The passcode is then applied to the device, whichverifies the applied passcode by calculating the passcode from a hiddencode in the device. The device is reset to a factory default state ifthe applied passcode is verified.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009]FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary gaming system.

[0010]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the gaming system.

[0011]FIG. 3 illustrates a network gaming system in which the FIG. 1gaming system is connected via a network to other consoles and services.

[0012]FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary hard disk drive 400 containing twoseparate partitions.

[0013]FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a process that assigns a hidden codeto a gaming system having a serial number.

[0014]FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a process that resets a hard diskdrive to a factory default state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] Although particular examples discussed herein refer to gamingsystems, the methods and apparatus of the present invention may beapplied to any device having a hard disk drive or other storagemechanism that can be reset to a factory default state. The hard diskdrive or other storage mechanism is partitioned into a bootable regionthat is protected as read-only (i.e., not erased during a resetoperation) and a second partition that has read and write capabilitiesand is erased during a reset operation.

[0016]FIG. 1 shows an exemplary gaming system 100. The gaming system 100includes a game console 102 and up to four controllers, as representedby controllers 104(1) and 104(2). The game console 102 is equipped withan internal hard disk drive and a portable media drive 106 that supportsvarious forms of portable storage media as represented by opticalstorage disc 108. Examples of suitable portable storage media includeDVD, CD-ROM, game discs, and so forth.

[0017] The game console 102 has four slots 110 on its front face tosupport up to four controllers, although the number and arrangement ofslots may be modified. A power button 112 and an eject button 114 arealso positioned on the front face of the game console 102. The powerbutton 112 switches power to the game console and the eject button 114alternately opens and closes a tray of the portable media drive 106 toallow insertion and extraction of the storage disc 108.

[0018] The game console 102 connects to a television or other display(not shown) via A/V interfacing cables 120. A power cable 122 providespower to the game console. The game console 102 may further beconfigured with broadband capabilities, as represented by the cable ormodem connector 124 to facilitate access to a network, such as theInternet.

[0019] Each controller 104 is coupled to the game console 102 via a wireor wireless interface. In the illustrated implementation, thecontrollers are USB (Universal Serial Bus) compatible and are connectedto the console 102 via serial cables 130. The controller 102 may beequipped with any of a wide variety of user interaction mechanisms. Asillustrated in FIG. 1, each controller 104 is equipped with twothumbsticks 132(1) and 132(2), a D-pad 134, buttons 136, and twotriggers 138. These mechanisms are merely representative, and otherknown gaming mechanisms may be substituted for or added to those shownin FIG. 1.

[0020] A memory unit (MU) 140 may be inserted into the controller 104 orthe game console 102 to provide additional and portable storage. Memoryunits 140 enable users to store game parameters and port them for playon other consoles. For example, a user can save a game to a memory unit140 using a particular game console then use that saved game data with agame executed on a different game console. In the describedimplementation, each controller is configured to accommodate two memoryunits 140, although more or less than two units may be employed in otherimplementations. A particular game console 102 may be configured toaccommodate any number of memory units 140.

[0021] The gaming system 100 is capable of playing, for example, games,music, and videos. With the different storage offerings, titles can beplayed from the hard disk drive or the portable medium 108 in drive 106,from an online source, or from a memory unit 140. A sample of what thegaming system 100 is capable of playing back include:

[0022] 1. Game titles played from CD and DVD discs, from the hard diskdrive, or from an online source.

[0023] 2. Digital music played from a CD in the portable media drive106, from a file on the hard disk drive (e.g., Windows Media Audio (WMA)format), or from online streaming sources.

[0024] 3. Digital audio/video played from a DVD disc in the portablemedia drive 106, from a file on the hard disk drive (e.g., ActiveStreaming Format), or from online streaming sources.

[0025]FIG. 2 shows functional components of the gaming system 100 inmore detail. The game console 102 has a central processing unit (CPU)200 and a memory controller 202 that facilitates processor access tovarious types of memory, including a flash ROM (Read Only Memory) 204, aRAM (Random Access Memory) 206, a hard disk drive 208, and the portablemedia drive 106. The CPU 200 is equipped with a level 1 cache 210 and alevel 2 cache 212 to temporarily store data and hence reduce the numberof memory access cycles, thereby improving processing speed andthroughput.

[0026] The CPU 200, memory controller 202, and various memory devicesare interconnected via one or more buses, including serial and parallelbuses, a memory bus, a peripheral bus, and a processor or local bususing any of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, sucharchitectures can include an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, aMicro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, an Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, aVideo Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and aPeripheral Component Interconnects (PCI) bus, also known as a Mezzaninebus.

[0027] As one suitable implementation, the CPU 200, memory controller202, ROM 204, and RAM 206 are integrated onto a common module 214. Inthis implementation, ROM 204 is configured as a flash ROM that isconnected to the memory controller 202 via a PCI (Peripheral ComponentInterconnect) bus and a ROM bus (neither of which are shown). RAM 206 isconfigured as multiple DDR SDRAM (Double Data Rate Synchronous DynamicRAM) that are independently controlled by the memory controller 202 viaseparate buses (not shown). The hard disk drive 208 and portable mediadrive 106 are connected to the memory controller via the PCI bus and anATA (AT Attachment) bus 216.

[0028] A 3D graphics processing unit 220 and a video encoder 222 form avideo processing pipeline for high speed and high resolution graphicsprocessing. Data is carried from the graphics processing unit 220 to thevideo encoder 222 via a digital video bus (not shown). An audioprocessing unit 224 and an audio codec (coder/decoder) 226 form acorresponding audio processing pipeline with high fidelity and stereoprocessing. Audio data is carried between the audio processing unit 224and the audio codec 226 via a communication link (not shown). The videoand audio processing pipelines output data to an A/V (audio/video) port228 for transmission to the television or other display. In theillustrated implementation, the video and audio processing components220-228 are mounted on the module 214.

[0029] Also implemented on the module 214 are a USB host controller 230and a network interface 232. The USB host controller 230 is coupled tothe CPU 200 and the memory controller 202 via a bus (e.g., PCI bus) andserves as host for the peripheral controllers 104(1)-104(4). The networkinterface 232 provides access to a network (e.g., the Internet, homenetwork, etc.) and may be any of a wide variety of various wired orwireless interface components including an Ethernet card, a modem, aBluetooth module, a cable modem, and the like.

[0030] The game console 102 has two dual controller supportsubassemblies 240(1) and 240(2), with each subassembly supporting twogame controllers 104(1)-104(4). A front panel I/O subassembly 242supports the functionality of the power button 112 and the eject button114, as well as any LEDs (light emitting diodes) or other indicatorsexposed on the outer surface of the game console. The subassemblies240(1), 240(2), and 242 are coupled to the module 214 via one or morecable assemblies 244.

[0031] Eight memory units 140(1)-140(8) are illustrated as beingconnectable to the four controllers 104(1)-104(4), i.e., two memoryunits for each controller. Each memory unit 140 offers additionalstorage on which games, game parameters, and other data may be stored.When inserted into a controller, the memory unit 140 can be accessed bythe memory controller 202. Additionally, one or more memory units 140may be inserted into game console 102 and accessed by the memorycontroller 202.

[0032] A system power supply module 250 provides power to the componentsof the gaming system 100. A fan 252 cools the circuitry within the gameconsole 102.

[0033] The game console 102 implements a uniform media portal model thatprovides a consistent user interface and navigation hierarchy to moveusers through various entertainment areas. The portal model offers aconvenient way to access content from multiple different mediatypes—game data, audio data, and video data—regardless of the media typeinserted into the portable media drive 106.

[0034] To implement the uniform media portal model, a console userinterface (UI) application 262 is stored on the hard disk drive 208.When the game console is powered on, various portions of the consoleapplication 260 are loaded into RAM 206 and/or caches 210, 212 andexecuted on the CPU 200. The console application 260 presents agraphical user interface that provides a consistent user experience whennavigating to different media types available on the game console. Thus,the hard disk drive 208 (and the data stored thereon) is an importantpart of the initialization process. If the hard disk drive 208 is notfunctioning properly, the gaming system 100 may not boot successfully.Hard disk drive 208 also contains a system reset application 260, whichis capable of resetting the hard disk drive to a known state (e.g., thesame state as when the game console 102 left the factory).

[0035] The gaming system 100 may be operated as a standalone system bysimply connecting the system to a television or other display. In thisstandalone mode, the gaming system 100 allows one or more players toplay games, watch movies, or listen to music. However, with theintegration of broadband connectivity made available through the networkinterface 232, the gaming system 100 may further be operated as aparticipant in a larger network gaming community.

[0036]FIG. 3 shows an exemplary network gaming environment 300 thatinterconnects multiple gaming systems 100(1), . . . , 100(g) via anetwork 302. The network 302 represents any of a wide variety of datacommunications networks. It may include public portions (e.g., theInternet) as well as private portions (e.g., a residential Local AreaNetwork (LAN)), as well as combinations of public and private portions.Network 302 may be implemented using any one or more of a wide varietyof conventional communications media including both wired and wirelessmedia. Any of a wide variety of communications protocols can be used tocommunicate data via network 302, including both public and proprietaryprotocols. Examples of such protocols include TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, NetBEUI,etc.

[0037] In addition to gaming systems 100, one or more online services304(1), . . ., 304(s) may be accessible via the network 302 to providevarious services for the participants, such as hosting online games,serving downloadable music or video files, hosting gaming competitions,serving streaming audio/video files, and the like. The network gamingenvironment 300 may further involve a key distribution center 306 thatplays a role in authenticating individual players and/or gaming systems100 to one another as well as online services 304. The distributioncenter 306 distributes keys and service tickets to valid participantsthat may then be used to form games amongst multiple players or topurchase services from the online services 304.

[0038] The network gaming environment 300 may also include one or moretechnical support centers and/or systems 310. The technical supportcenters 310 may provide one or more customer support agents to answerquestions and diagnose problems encountered by gaming system users. Thetechnical support centers 310 may access one or more databases 312containing information about individual game consoles (e.g., serialnumbers and related information) or common problems with game consolesand recommended solutions. Database 312 may be coupled directly to atechnical support server or may be coupled to network 302 for access byother devices coupled to the network.

[0039] The network gaming environment 300 introduces another memorysource available to individual gaming systems 100—online storage. Inaddition to the portable storage medium 108, the hard disk drive 208,and the memory unit(s) 140, the gaming system 100(1) can also accessdata files available at remote storage locations via the network 302, asexemplified by remote storage 308 at online service 304(s).

[0040]FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary hard disk drive 400 containing twoseparate partitions (referred to as a “saved data partition” 402 and a“console partition” 404). As discussed in greater detail below, eachpartition 402, 404 stores a particular type of data and has specificdata access policies that, for example, prevent data in the consolepartition from being modified or deleted. The partitions shown in FIG. 4are provided as an example. In alternate implementations, a hard diskdrive may contain any number of partitions.

[0041] The saved data partition 402 contains, for example, saved gamedata 406 and 408, system settings data 410, a system utility 412, and asystem data file 414. Saved game data 406 and 408 may include highscores, previously saved games, and additional game levels or featuresdownloaded or otherwise installed on the hard disk drive 400. Systemsettings data 410 includes current date, current time, preferredlanguage, and other settings associated with the gaming system in whichthe hard disk drive 400 is installed. System utility 412 may bedownloaded or otherwise installed on the hard disk drive 400 by the userof the gaming system or may be copied from the console partition 404 tothe saved data partition 402. System data file 414 may be generated bysystem utility 412 or another system utility or system application. Forexample, regularly used system data files 414 may be copied from consolepartition 404 to saved data partition 402 such that the data isprimarily accessed from the saved data partition 402.

[0042] The console partition 404 contains, for example, a consoleapplication 416, one or more system utilities 418, a reset application420, and one or more system data files 422. Console application 416 isexecuted by the gaming system in addition to other applications (such asgames, music applications, and movie applications). The consoleapplication performs various functions necessary to operate the gamingsystem, such as implementing a user interface, performing configurationoperations, and performing various management functions. Systemutilities 418 perform various functions in the gaming system, such asmanaging disk space usage and memory space usage. Reset application 420resets the gaming system to a factory default setting, which includesdeleting all information and data stored in the saved data partition402. Additional details regarding the operation of the reset application420 are provided below. System data files 422 are used by one or moreapplications, such as console application 416, during operation of thegaming system.

[0043]FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a process 500 that assigns a hiddencode to a gaming system having a serial number. During the manufacturingof the gaming system, a serial number is assigned to the game console(block 502). Typically, the serial number assigned to each game consoleis unique. A hidden code is stored in the game console (block 504). Thishidden code is not generally accessible to the user of the game consoleand is stored in a non-volatile memory, such as the console partition ofthe hard disk drive or other non-volatile memory device. As discussedbelow, the hidden code is used to generate a passcode that resets thegame console hard disk drive to a factory default state. The hidden codeis not necessarily unique. The hidden code is not generally accessibleto the user of the game console, thus preventing the user from resettingthe game console without first contacting a technical support agent. Byhiding this code, a malicious user is prevented from resetting anotheruser's game console, which would result in the deletion of numeroussaved games, high scores, etc.

[0044] The game console serial number and the associated hidden code arestored in a database (or other data storage mechanism) maintained by themanufacturer (block 506) or another entity. For example, the gameconsole serial number and associated hidden code may be stored indatabase 312 (FIG. 3). This database can be accessed, for example, by atechnical support agent to identify the hidden code associated with aparticular game console. A passcode is generated by applying a passcodealgorithm to the hidden code (block 508). The passcode represents aseries of button presses or other control inputs to a controller coupledto the game console. The passcode may contain any number of buttonpresses or other control inputs, although a typical passcode contains asequence of 3-8 button presses or other control inputs. In alternativeembodiments, the passcode may represent a series of button presses orother control inputs to the game console itself. The following areexemplary passcodes:

[0045] Button B-Left Trigger-Up D-pad-Button Y

[0046] Left Thumbstick-Button A-Up Thumbstick-Down Thumbstick

[0047] Up D-pad-Right Thumbstick-Left Trigger-Button X-Right Trigger

[0048] Various types of algorithms may be used to convert a hidden codeinto a passcode. For example, each character in the hidden code may beconverted into a particular control input.

[0049] The passcode is stored in the database along with the serialnumber and the associated hidden code (block 510). The database may alsocontain information regarding the algorithm used to generate thepasscode, particularly if more than one algorithm is used to generatepasscodes. The gaming system is then shipped to a distributor orotherwise made available for distribution to an end user (block 512).

[0050]FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a process 600 that resets a hard diskdrive to a factory default state. Initially, a gaming system usercontacts a technical support department after experiencing a problemwith the gaming system (block 602). Problems may include an inability toturn on the device, inconsistent operation, improper operation,“freezing” while an application is executing, etc. A technical supportagent obtains information from the user of the gaming system regardingthe problem and diagnoses the problem (block 604). If the solution tothe diagnosed problem does not include resetting the gaming system, theuser of the gaming system is asked to perform various procedures oroperations (block 608).

[0051] If the solution to the diagnosed problem includes resetting thegaming system, the technical support agent requests the serial number ofthe user's game console (block 610). Alternatively, the serial number ofthe user's game console may be obtained by the technical support agentprior to diagnosing the problem. The technical support agent thenretrieves a passcode associated with the serial number from a database(block 612), such as the database discussed above with respect to FIG.5. The technical support agent then instructs the gaming system user togo to a particular screen of the console application and enter thepasscode provided to the user by the technical support agent (block614). The particular screen that accepts the passcode may be a typicalsystem configuration screen (or any other screen) that does notnecessarily indicate that a passcode can be entered. At block 616, thegaming system verifies that the proper passcode has been entered and, ifthe passcode is correct, resets the hard disk drive in the game consoleto the factory default state.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 6, block 616 represents four separate blocks,labeled 618-624. Specifically, the process 600 retrieves the hidden codestored in a non-volatile memory of the game console (block 618). Theprocess then calculates a passcode using the hidden code and the samealgorithm discussed above with respect to FIG. 5 and verifies thepasscode against the series of button presses or other control inputsentered by the user of the gaming system (block 620). If the userentered the proper passcode, all data in the saved data partition of thehard disk drive is deleted (block 622). However, data in the consolepartition of the hard disk drive is not deleted. The deleting of data inthe saved data partition may be performed by executing the resetapplication 420 stored in the console partition of the hard disk drive.If necessary, data files and/or system utilities are copied from theconsole partition to the saved data partition after the old data isdeleted from the saved data partition of the hard disk drive (block624). At this point, the game console can be rebooted and will functionin a manner similar to a factory fresh game console.

[0053] Although the invention has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarilylimited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specificfeatures and acts are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing theclaimed invention.

1. An apparatus comprising: a processor; and a hard disk drive coupledto the processor, the hard disk drive being configured to store variousdata associated with the apparatus, wherein the hard disk drive includesa first partition that is cleared during a system reset operation and asecond partition that is not cleared during the system reset operation.2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 further including a memory coupledto the processor.
 3. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 furtherincluding a portable media drive coupled to the processor and configuredto communicate with a storage disc.
 4. An apparatus as recited in claim1 further including a console application stored on the second partitionof the hard disk drive and executable on the processor, the consoleapplication configured to implement a user interface to the apparatus.5. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 further including a resetapplication stored on the second partition of the hard disk drive andexecutable on the processor, the reset application configured toimplement a system reset operation.
 6. An apparatus as recited in claim1 wherein the apparatus is a game console.
 7. A method comprising:booting a game console from a first partition of a hard disk driveintegrated into the game console, wherein the first partition of thehard disk drive is designated read-only; and storing data generatedduring operation of the game console on a second partition of the harddisk drive.
 8. A method as recited in claim 7 further including storingdata associated with at least one saved game on the second partition ofthe hard disk drive.
 9. A method as recited in claim 7 further includingstoring data associated with configuration of the game console on thesecond partition of the hard disk drive.
 10. A method as recited inclaim 7 wherein booting a game console includes booting the game consoleinto a console application stored on the first partition of the harddisk drive.
 11. A method as recited in claim 7 further comprisingresetting the game console to a factory default state by executing areset application stored on the first partition of the hard disk drive.12. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein the reset application storedon the first partition of the hard disk drive is capable of erasing thesecond partition of the hard disk drive.
 13. A method as recited inclaim 11 wherein the reset application is in executed in response to auser entering a valid passcode.
 14. A method as recited in claim 11wherein the reset application is executed in response to a user enteringa valid series of button presses or other control inputs.
 15. One ormore computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructionsthat, when executed, perform the method as recited in claim
 7. 16. Amethod comprising: assigning a serial number to a game console; storinga hidden code in a storage device contained in the game console; storingthe serial number and the associated hidden code in a database for laterreference; and generating a passcode by applying a passcode algorithm tothe hidden code, wherein the passcode identifies a series of controlinputs required to reset the game console.
 17. A method as recited inclaim 16 further comprising storing the passcode in the database withthe associated serial number.
 18. A method as recited in claim 16wherein the series of control inputs are applied to the game consoleusing a controller coupled to the game console.
 19. A method as recitedin claim 16 wherein the same passcode is generated by the game consoleby applying the same passcode algorithm to the hidden code stored in thegame console.
 20. One or more computer-readable media comprisingcomputer-executable instructions that, when executed, perform the methodas recited in claim
 16. 21. A method comprising: contacting a technicalsupport agent regarding a device; providing a device serial number tothe technical support agent; receiving a passcode from the technicalsupport agent; applying the passcode to the device, the device verifyingthe applied passcode by calculating the passcode from a hidden code inthe device; and resetting the device to a factory default state if theapplied passcode is verified.
 22. A method as recited in claim 21further comprising maintaining the current state of the device if thepasscode is not verified.
 23. A method as recited in claim 21 whereinthe passcode identifies a series of control inputs required to reset thedevice.
 24. A method as recited in claim 21 wherein resetting the deviceincludes deleting data in a first partition of a hard disk drivecontained in the device.
 25. A method as recited in claim 21 wherein thedevice is a game console.
 26. One or more computer-readable mediacomprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, performthe method as recited in claim
 21. 27. A computer-readable medium for agame console comprising computer-executable instructions that, whenexecuted, direct the game console to: identify a passcode associatedwith the game console; receive a series of user inputs; determinewhether the series of user inputs matches the passcode associated withthe game console; and reset the game console to a factory default stateif the series of user inputs matches the passcode associated with thegame console.
 28. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 27wherein resetting the game console to a factory default state includesdeleting data stored in a saved data partition of a hard disk driveintegrated into the game console.
 29. A computer-readable medium asrecited in claim 27 wherein the saved data partition of the hard diskdrive includes saved game data.
 30. A computer-readable medium asrecited in claim 27 wherein the saved data partition of the hard diskdrive includes game console settings.
 31. A computer-readable medium asrecited in claim 27 further comprising computer-executable instructionsthat, when executed, direct the game console to maintain the currentstate of the game console if the series of user inputs does not matchthe passcode associated with the game console.